
Top 10 multifunction printers from HP, Canon, Epson and Brother with wireless and all-in-one features
These are useful options if you're working from home, doing school work, or just need something for everyday tasks. In this list, we've picked a few good multifunction printers from trusted brands like HP, Canon, Epson, and Brother that you can actually use and rely on for everyday needs with ease.
If you're after one of the best multifunction printers for basic tasks, the HP Smart Tank 520 is a right choice for everyday printing, scanning, and copying. It's simple to set up and easy to handle.
The printer comes with an extra black ink bottle, letting you print more pages without needing a refill too soon. It's a steady option for those who print often at home or in a small setup.
Long ink life with high page yield for black and colour prints.
No wireless printing, so not suited for mobile or remote use.
HP Smart Tank 520 All-in-one Colour Printer with 1 Extra Black Ink Bottle (Upto 8000 Black and 6000 Colour Prints) and 1 Year Extended Warranty with PHA Coverage.Print, Scan & Copy for Office/Home
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Good quality prints and the ink really lasts a long time.
Why choose this product?
A good fit for users who don't need Wi-Fi and prefer wired setups.
This Canon printer stands out for those who want quick prints without much setup at home or in the office. With print, scan, and copy features packed into a single device, it covers the basics well for everyday needs.
Among the best multifunction printers in the laser segment, this one keeps things simple. It's built for regular use, especially when most of your work involves black-and-white documents or study material for school or college.
Quick black-and-white prints with less maintenance.
No wireless printing and no colour support.
Canon MF3010 Digital Multifunction Laser Printer, Black, Standard
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Reliable for daily use and easy to set up.
Why choose this product?
Ideal for anyone who wants quick document prints without extra features.
The Brother multifunction printer is a nice choice for people who want faster prints and basic features in one setup. It prints, scans and copies, with duplex printing to save paper and time.
For those comparing the best multifunction printers in laser models, this one offers a useful mix of speed and simple controls. It's a great laser printer with an LCD display that makes daily printing tasks easier.
Fast printing and auto duplex make daily work quicker.
Clear LCD display for easy operation
No colour printing, black and white only
No wireless or mobile printing support (USB only)
Brother DCP-L2520D Automatic Duplex Laser Printer with 30 Pages Per Minute Print Speed, Multifunction (Print Scan Copy), 2 in 1 (ID) Copy Button, LCD Display, 32 MB Memory, 250 Sheet Paper Tray, USB
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Print speed is good and it's simple to use for office tasks.
Why choose this product?
Best for users who don't need wireless but want smooth printing at their desk.
The Epson multifunction printer is made for users who need regular black and white printing with fewer refills. It can print, scan, and copy, and comes with an ink tank setup that's easy to refill and manage.
If you're comparing the best multifunction printers for plain document use, this one keeps it simple. It's designed for people who mostly print text and need a machine that runs smoothly without too many extras.
Prints many pages with less ink.
Easy to use for daily tasks.
No colour printing.
No wireless option.
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Easy to use, low running cost and works well for home or office needs.
Why choose this product?
Good for people who print documents often and want to save on ink.
This HP laser printer is made for those who need regular document printing along with basic scanning and copying functions for home or office use. It supports both USB and wireless printing, which makes it easy to print from a phone or laptop without using cables.
If you're looking through the best multifunction printers that support Wi-Fi, this one fits the need. So, buy it because it's a great multifunction printer recommended from Amazon.
Offers wireless printing and basic features in one machine.
Does not support colour printing or automatic duplex.
HP Laserjet Pro M126nw Multi-Function Monochrome Laser Printer
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Wireless printing is smooth and setup is simple.
Why choose this product?
Best when you want a printer that works easily with phones and laptops.
The Canon printer is a solid option that handles printing, scanning, and copying without much hassle. Setup is simple, it runs on USB, and works well for small printing needs like school work or light photo use.
It's a good pick if you need a basic colour printer now and then. It's made for people who don't print every day but want something that works when they do. A reliable printer to consider as one of the best multifunction printers on the market.
Simple printer for home use with basic scan and colour print.
No wireless and not meant for frequent heavy printing.
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Good for home use and prints come out clean for casual needs.
Why choose this product?
Best for students or homes that print occasionally.
The Epson M2050 is built for those who print documents regularly and want to avoid the trouble of running out of ink often. It includes a flatbed scanner and prints at a fast speed, making it good for home office work or personal study use.
If you're browsing the best multifunction printers that can handle high volume black text jobs, this one fits the bill. It's easy to use and doesn't need much attention once set up.
Refillable ink tank prints thousands of pages at low cost
Fast print speed makes it useful for frequent document printing
No wireless connectivity (USB only)
Doesn't support colour printing
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Stays consistent even with high usage; saves money on refills.
Why choose this product?
A trustworthy choice when colour isn't needed and speed matters more.
The Brother ink tank printer is a good fit for people who need high volume colour and black-and-white printing without refilling often. With auto duplex, Wi-Fi, and an LCD screen, it's easy to manage both home and work tasks.
If you're looking at the best multifunction printers with Wi-Fi and an ADF tray, this one handles scanning and copying easily too. It's useful for those who want prints without sitting beside the printer.
Can print large volumes with fewer refills
Auto duplex and ADF make it easier for regular users
Print speed may slow down with full-colour photo pages
Slightly bulky for smaller desks
Brother Ink Tank DCP-T820DW WIFI Auto Duplex Color Multifunction Printer (Print Scan Copy), ADF, LCD, LAN, Print Up to 7.5K Pages Black & 5K in Color Each for (CMY), Extra Black Ink, Free Installation
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Setup is smooth, prints are clear, and ink lasts long.
Why choose this product?
Great if you want a printer that handles pages on its own without manual flipping.
The HP Smart Tank printer is a helpful choice for people who print often but don't want to refill ink all the time. It handles everyday printing, scanning, and copying jobs at home, and supports borderless prints for photos or projects.
This fits well into the list of best multifunction printers for daily home use. You can print wirelessly using your phone or laptop, which makes things easier when you're in a rush.
High ink capacity lasts long
Easy mobile and wireless printing
No ADF for multi-page scans
Not suited for heavy office printing
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Most buyers say it's simple to set up and runs smoothly.
Why choose this product?
Good if you want a printer that prints often without ink worries.
The Epson eco tank Wi-Fi printer is for people who print often and want to skip frequent cartridge changes. It prints, scans, and copies using an ink tank system, which is easy to refill and runs longer without needing much care.
In any list of best multifunction printers, this one stands out for home use with Wi-Fi printing. You can connect your phone or laptop and print easily without cables or extra steps.
Prints directly from phone or laptop
Ink lasts longer than cartridge models
Slower print speed for colour pages
No screen for control or status
Epson EcoTank L3256 Wi-Fi Multifunction InkTank Printer
What are buyers saying on Amazon?
Easy to set up and works well for everyday printing at home.
Why choose this product?
It's useful if you want to print often without worrying about changing cartridges.
A multifunction printer can print, scan and copy all from one machine. It saves space and is useful for everyday tasks like printing school work, scanning ID cards or copying documents. Some models also let you print wirelessly from your phone or laptop, which is helpful if you're not sitting right next to the printer.
It depends on how much and what kind of printing you do. Ink tank printers are better for colour prints and low running costs over time, especially for home use. Laser printers are faster for black and white pages, making them better for offices or students who mostly print text documents.
Factors to consider when purchasing the best multifunction printer:
Best inkjet printers in May 2025: Top 10 picks to get high quality prints at home or office
10 must-have printers for printing holiday homework at home with wireless, compact design, fast printing, and easy setup
Best inkless printer in 2025: Top 10 portable, high-quality, eco-friendly printers compatible with mobile devices
Best printers for home and office use: Top 8 reliable options for high quality prints
Best printers for home use: Choose from the top 9 picks for hassle-free and affordable printing solutions
Yes, it lets you print from your phone or laptop without cables.
Only if you regularly scan or copy multiple pages at once.
Yes, most can print or copy directly using Wi-Fi or USB.
It allows the printer to print on both sides of the paper automatically.
Yes, most multifunction printers support mobile printing via apps or Wi-Fi.
Disclaimer: At Hindustan Times, we help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and products. Hindustan Times has an affiliate partnership, so we may get a part of the revenue when you make a purchase. We shall not be liable for any claim under applicable laws, including but not limited to the Consumer Protection Act, 2019, with respect to the products. The products listed in this article are in no particular order of priority.

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Time of India
2 hours ago
- Time of India
Will you have fries with that?
Will you have fries with that? This classic line is one of the most memorable examples of cross-selling, reportedly contributing up to 40% of revenues for the global fast-food giant McDonald's. A powerful sales lever, cross-selling has become table stakes across industries such as banking and finance, insurance, retail, travel, automotive, hospitality and subscription businesses. With the emergence of digital media, marketers adapted upsell and cross-sell strategies for mass campaigns via digital channels. In the Internet age, digital cross-sell strategies took shape. E-commerce players such as Amazon introduced nudges like 'Customers who bought this also bought…', while OTAs (online travel agents) sold everything from hotels and rental cars to insurance based on a customer's travel plans. These strategies leveraged psychological insights and adapted website or app design to help consumers navigate the digital world. The evolution of cross-selling accelerated as marketers harnessed data analytics to better understand complex consumer journeys and build campaigns that struck at the moment of consumer truth. A famous example is retailer Target, which used data analytics to identify which trimester pregnant female customers were in, allowing the brand to target them with relevant product offers. This level of granular understanding of consumer journeys through data opened up a brave new world of cross-selling strategies that continues to evolve. The expanding suite of marketing technology ( martech ) solutions today can not only execute highly sophisticated cross-sell strategies but also scale them effectively. Anand Bhatia , chief data and analytics officer, HDB Financial Services, observed, 'Martech makes it possible to manage cross-sell and upsell at scale, in real time, and importantly unearth aspects you were blind to earlier. For example, the impact of the make of the phone as a loose surrogate for income, and using it as a targeting variable. So, it gives the marketer the ability to manage more. And decision-making needs data. With the right tool, the data is real time and so is the response. The customer too feels the impact of faster access to deals and services from the brand. It makes the brand look (and behave) responsive! It also helps that these tools help visualise data/output far better, and that is a big positive.' The biggest unlock that modern cross-selling strategies have brought, this author believes, is in the BFSI sector, where complexity is enormous and consumer behaviour and journeys vary widely. Historically, the guidance of a financial expert (agent, broker, relationship manager etc.) was required to move a consumer towards any kind of decision. These decisions carried high stakes, potentially affecting a customer for the rest of their life, so they were made with great care. Add to this the considerable regulatory scrutiny applied to any form of financial advice or influence. Sumit Aggarwal , SVP – group customer data and cross-sell, Motilal Oswal , explained, 'In the investment world, timing and relevance are everything. The same principles that guide a well-timed equity trade also define effective upselling and cross-selling. Offer a product too soon, and the customer isn't ready. Too late, and the opportunity has passed.' He added, 'Earlier, our industry relied on relationship managers to read these cues through conversations, portfolio reviews and market updates. It worked, but it was personal, not scalable.' Today, customer interactions have shifted from the broker or financial adviser to mobile apps and websites. But in many cases trust and authority still rest largely with the adviser. Aggarwal elaborated, 'Customers expect the right product recommendation, in the right channel, at the right moment, whether it's a PMS (portfolio management services) pitch after a strong equities run, or a bond ladder suggestion when volatility rises.' In the early days of martech adoption, brands began delivering relevant offers and transactional messages in real time across multiple channels including apps, email and push notifications. Data dashboards democratised insights and equipped customer-facing staff such as advisers with context-rich information before every customer interaction. In an omnichannel environment, the biggest breakthrough was synchronising online and offline conversations so customers experienced a seamless journey. The next generational shift saw brands move away from obvious product pushes towards hyper-personalised, timely recommendations informed by a customer's portfolio, behaviour and life stage. This is considered the holy grail of marketing because it is invisible to the customer, creating the impression that the brand genuinely cares. Bhatia remarked, 'Martech tools offering automation of the process of cross-sell have been the biggest unlock, from delivery of the communication, message or nudge, to instantly identifying "whom" to target. This has meant a whole new way of working emerged, try fast, try small, get a quick sense of what is working, and scale up if it works. This speed is a great power to have. It is a combination of technology, process and people. People play a key role, as the machine is an enabler, you need someone willing to run rapid campaigns and fail so that the successes are big!' With campaign automation tools making message delivery easier than ever, the onus has shifted back to data, activating campaigns based on complex consumer insights. Marketers now use multiple data modelling techniques, including propensity models that estimate the likelihood of a customer purchasing a product, and LTV (lifetime value) segmentation to focus on high-value customers. The complex logic driving these campaigns is only increasing as marketers strive to avoid predictable, one-dimensional approaches. Aggarwal stated, 'We combine propensity models, RFM (recency, frequency, monetary) scoring, LTV (lifetime value) segmentation and behavioural triggers to find the perfect engagement moment. Idle cash in a portfolio might trigger an FD or liquid fund message, a maturing SIP could prompt a PMS discussion. This isn't just good for business, it delivers a better, more relevant customer experience, increasing trust and long-term value.' Anand explained, 'Brands will use all these data models in campaigns. Each approach has merits, and possibly demerits. What is important is understanding how these work. It's very interesting you speak of RFM in a world dominated by complex logic. RFM is a great tool, especially in retail, e-commerce or payments businesses, to segment customers. In martech, retail, e-com or payments environments, it's one of the go-to tools, quick, effective, and totally in sync with buying behaviour.' The increasing complexity in data modelling can sometimes throw marketers off. Segmenting customers as first-time buyers, repeat buyers or high-value buyers, or grouping them solely by interests, risks creating one-dimensional profiles that may limit broader upsell and cross-sell opportunities. Marketers therefore need to look at data not only from marketing campaigns and consumer outreach programmes but across departments and channels to gain a more holistic view of the customer journey. Aggarwal noted, 'Today, key challenges that remain in cross-selling and up-selling are data unification, quality gaps and channel orchestration. But centralising intelligence in the CDP (customer data platform), standardising taxonomy and creating always-on journeys have been breakthroughs.' As Aggarwal highlighted, for many brands, cross-selling opportunities represent not just a way to drive more sales but also a route to improving customer experience, building loyalty and creating long-term brand value. Until recently, data analytics remained firmly in the grasp of marketing, product, digital and analytics teams. But with the emergence of intelligent AI models, even this aspect of up-selling and cross-selling may increasingly be handled by machines. 'The next leap will come from AI, which is already helping us predict exits, spot portfolio gaps and generate personalised, compliance-ready narratives. This will move us from reactive selling to proactive, predictive engagement, ensuring every customer interaction adds value and strengthens the relationship,' concluded Aggarwal.


Economic Times
3 hours ago
- Economic Times
Big Tech's AI data centers are driving up electricity bills for everyone
The annual meeting of state utility regulators is typically a humdrum affair of dry speeches and panel discussions. But in November, the scene at the Marriott in Anaheim, California, had a bit more flash. The conference's top sponsors included the nation's biggest tech companies -- Amazon, Microsoft and Google. Their executives sat on panels, and the companies' branding was plastered on product booths and at networking events. Even the lanyards around attendees' necks were stamped with Google's colorful logo. Just a few years ago, tech companies were minor players in energy, making investments in solar and wind farms to rein in their growing carbon footprints and placate customers concerned about climate change. But now they are changing the face of the U.S. power industry and blurring the line between energy consumer and energy producer. They have morphed into some of energy's most dominant players. They have set up subsidiaries that invest in power generation and sell electricity. Much of the energy they produce is bought by utilities and then delivered to homes and businesses, including the tech companies themselves. Their operations and investments dwarf those of many traditional utilities. But the tech industry's all-out artificial intelligence push is fueling soaring demand for electricity to run data centers that dot the landscape in Virginia, Ohio and other states. Large, rectangular buildings packed with servers consumed more than 4% of the nation's electricity in 2023, and government analysts estimate that will increase to as much as 12% in just three years. That's partly because computers training and running AI systems consume far more energy than machines that stream Netflix or TikTok. Electricity is essential to their success. Andy Jassy, Amazon's CEO, recently told investors that the company could have had higher sales if it had more data centers. "The single biggest constraint," he said, "is power." The rush to build power plants and transmission lines comes as big tech companies are richer than ever because of their pivot to AI; after announcing blowout financial results in late July, Microsoft became the second public company to surpass $4 trillion in value. Even as some corporate customers have been underwhelmed by AI's usefulness so far, tech companies plan to invest hundreds of billions of dollars on it. At the same time, the boom threatens to drive up power bills for residents and small businesses. Nationally, the average electricity rate for residents has risen more than 30% since 2020, after years of relatively modest increases. Much of that increase has been driven by utilities catching up on deferred maintenance and hardening grids for extreme weather. In the coming years, AI could turbocharge those increases. It is difficult to predict what that will mean for consumers' power bills. But recent reports expect data centers will require expensive upgrades to the electric grid, a cost that will be shared with residents and smaller businesses through higher rates unless state regulators and lawmakers force tech companies to cover those expenses. A June analysis, from Carnegie Mellon University and North Carolina State University, found that electricity bills are on track to rise an average of 8% nationwide by 2030 and as much as 25% in places like Virginia because of data centers. In some places, it is happening already. Starting in June, the electricity bill for a typical household in Ohio increased at least $15 a month because of data centers, according to data from a major local utility and an independent monitor of the electric grid that stretches across 13 states and the District of Columbia. Tech companies insist they are not trying to fob energy costs onto residents and small businesses, saying they are willing to pay for the power they use and for much of the equipment needed to make it available. "We don't want to see other customers bearing the cost of us trying to grow," said Bobby Hollis, who leads Microsoft's energy procurement. But even with their expressed goodwill, getting the companies to make consumers whole will not be easy because determining how much large users like data centers should pay is not straightforward. The business of keeping America's lights on is mostly about two things: supplying reliable electricity and figuring out what to charge to deliver it. In recent years, big tech companies have inserted themselves into debates over both. They lobby lawmakers and regulators, and they are pitching their own pricing schemes to challenge those of utilities -- something that would have been unthinkable a few years ago. That has led to growing tensions. The utilities pay for grid projects over decades, typically by raising prices for everyone connected to the grid. But suddenly, technology companies want to build so many data centers that utilities are being asked to spend a lot more money a lot faster. Lawmakers, regulators and consumer groups fear that households and smaller companies could be stuck footing these mounting utilities, working with technology companies can be difficult but also lucrative. States allow utilities to charge customers enough to recoup their costs and make money for shareholders based on how much they invest. New data centers require utilities to spend billions of dollars on power lines and plants, which should lead to bigger profits for the utilities over time. "My No 1 priority in all of this is to keep the lights on," said Calvin Butler, the CEO of Exelon, a large utility company, and the chair of Edison Electric Institute, an industry association. "I think the tech companies being engaged in our industry makes this a very exciting time. Just pay your fair share of the grid." Ultimately, the technology companies may have an upper hand. In many states bursting with data centers, utilities cannot own power plants because of policies intended to encourage competition. But the tech giants do not have the same restrictions, and many have invested in power plants and secured control of electricity produced by others, making them both big users and suppliers of power. The tech companies use the electricity produced at these facilities to help power their data centers or sell it to retail utilities on the wholesale market -- a small but growing source of revenue. Over the past five years, electricity sales from tech companies' energy subsidiaries totaled $2.2 billion, with much of that generated since 2022. "Unless people lean on the public utilities commissions, the ratepayers will take it on the chin," said Mark Cooper, an economic analyst at the Institute for Energy and the Environment at the Vermont Law and Graduate School. 'Extremely new territory' In the debate over who will foot the bill, the industry's eyes have been fixed on Ohio. On a snowy day in December, a first-of-its-kind showdown played out in a small hearing room in Columbus. Lawyers for Amazon, Google, Microsoft and other technology companies faced off against representatives of an electric utility. The tech companies had plans for dozens of new data centers -- so much that the local utility, American Electric Power, projected it would need six times the electricity central Ohio produced. The utility had spent months meeting with the state's consumer representative, tech companies, related industries and the staff of the regulator, the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, to hammer out a deal. But in October, before the negotiations were done, the tech companies gave the utility a few days' notice that they were submitting their own proposal. Industry experts said they had never seen that kind of front-running before. Under the companies' plan, they would pay less upfront than the utility had wanted. Days later, the Ohio utility, the consumer representative and the regulator's staff countered with a plan that would create a class of customer for data centers and would require them to pay more. This category would be in addition to the four main types of electricity customers -- homes, businesses, factories and public rail systems -- that pay different rates in Ohio and other states. The hearing in Columbus, before an administrative law judge, was about power in the literal sense -- the electrons that keep the lights on and fuel modern technology -- and power in the political sense. American Electric Power, which has 5.6 million customers in 11 states, warned the judge that if the state did not adopt its proposal, residents and smaller businesses would bear much of the costs for tech companies' power demands. Despite tech companies' professed desire not to burden others, they often push regulators to impose some of the upgrade costs on everybody. They contend that data centers bring jobs to the area and that grid upgrades will ultimately help local businesses and one point, a lawyer representing Amazon sought to get an executive from the Ohio utility to admit that he had once welcomed data centers to the state. "You said something to the effect of, 'Data centers are great for the economy,'" David Proaño, a partner at the law firm BakerHostetler, prodded. "Do you remember saying something like that?" The executive, Kamran Ali, deadpanned that he had "said a lot of things." Ali testified that he worried about how the voracious power demands would tax the electric grid and hurt other consumers. Scores of residential and business customers raised similar concerns in comments to Ohio regulators. "To even consider foisting more fees on Ohio's private citizens is a travesty," Benjamin Yoder, who lives in Blacklick, east of Columbus, wrote in a comment for a public hearing in January. An anonymous customer from Upper Sandusky wrote, "Our wallets cannot be strained anymore. Make them pay their own bills like we do!" The utility in Ohio has already committed to supplying electricity for 30 data centers in the region by 2030, reaching power consumption levels in the Columbus area as high as Manhattan's. But the tech industry is making additional requests to power 90 more data centers, which could make consumption comparable to the entire state of New York during a peak summer day. "We're used to a couple megawatts added to our system," Marc Reitter, president and chief operating officer at the utility, said in an interview. "Massive amounts of power is extremely new territory." The utility's proposal for a new category of customer will require data centers to make years of payments for the energy they need -- something other customers are not required to do. It wanted data centers and cryptocurrency miners to pay at least 85% of the electricity they request, even if they did not use it. But Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft and other tech companies said they should pay less than what the utility wanted. The settlement the companies filed had committed to 75% of the electricity they requested, depending on the length of the contract. That would leave other utility customers to shoulder more of the cost of new grid equipment. In addition, the tech industry wanted all large customers, including factories, to be treated the same. And it proposed a higher threshold for determining if data centers should be considered large users than in the utility-led proposal. Kevin Miller, who was until recently a vice president at Amazon, said the Ohio utility's plan could result in tech companies overpaying because data centers ramp up operations in phases. And data centers could be required to pay for power even if the utility failed to deliver all the energy it had committed to supplying, he said. "We just don't think that it has the right kind of flexibility to really match the profile over time that the data center brings," Miller said in an interview before he left Amazon in July. Last month, after spending months weighing the proposals, the commission ruled 5-0 against the tech companies. "Today's order represents a well-balanced package that safeguards non-data-center customers," Jenifer French, the chair of the commission, said in a statement after the ruling. Last Friday, the tech companies asked the commission to reconsider the case, calling the ruling "unlawful and unreasonable." Another risk: Growth could falter The Ohio ruling hinged on a big concern for utilities and lawmakers: that the tech companies may be asking for a lot more power than they will ultimately use. The worry is that executives could overestimate demand for AI or underestimate the energy efficiency of future computer chips. Residents and smaller businesses would then be stuck covering much of the cost because utilities largely recoup the cost of improvements over time as customers use power rather than through upfront payments. These are not idle fears. Tech companies have announced plans for data centers that are never built or delayed for years. The utility's executives said their proposal sought to protect all customers if tech companies abandoned or delayed projects. They pointed to a case in Virginia where regular customers had to cover initial costs of grid upgrades for a data center that started operating years later than planned. In that case, a developer of data centers, Unicorn Interests, told Dominion Energy, a large utility, in 2010 that it would build a data center next to the regional airport in Manassas, near Washington, that would need electricity by July 2013. Virginia regulators approved Dominion's $42 million plan to build a substation and a transmission line to serve the campus, which was run by an investment trust founded by real estate developers Hossein Fateh and Lammot J du Pont, a descendant of the du Pont dynasty. By late spring 2013, Dominion had procured most of the materials it needed for the project and done some site work, but Unicorn was behind schedule. Ultimately, the data center did not sign a customer until summer 2017. During the four-year delay, ratepayers in and around Manassas paid millions of dollars for upgrades that were not being used. Because Unicorn was not drawing electricity from the new equipment, it paid Dominion nothing or very little in those years. In an interview, Fateh acknowledged the delays but said Unicorn had helped usher in a data center boom in the area. He also said he supported the utility industry's efforts to have data centers make upfront payments for grid upgrades to weed out projects that might not be completed. "Most utilities really, really like our business because we are using a consistent amount of power, day or night," he said. That means once they are up and running, data centers buy power all the time, unlike homes, which primarily use electricity in the morning and evening. A spokesperson for Dominion Energy, Aaron Ruby, said another data center project had replaced Unicorn and covered some of the costs, so "any impacts to residential customers would have been temporary and minimal, if anything at all." Data centers are contractually required, Ruby said, to pay for the full cost of new distribution infrastructure -- including substations and the poles and wires that connect the data center to the substation -- within the first four years of their service. But that requirement does not apply to all upgrade costs. To serve large energy users, utilities also have to upgrade transmission lines that take electricity from power plants to the substation. The cost of upgrading those lines is generally borne by everyone. Data centers have flocked to northern Virginia because it is home to critical internet cabling and government agencies. The tech buildings now account for more than a quarter of the region's energy use. A Virginia agency concluded in a report in December that data centers had generally been paying their fair share of grid upgrade expenses but that costs to residents could rise $276 a year by 2030 because of data centers. That number could be substantially higher if construction plans for data centers are delayed, if they are never built or if they use less electricity than planned. The report recommended that the state create a rate class for data centers -- similar to the proposal that regulators approved in Ohio and other states are contemplating. At a hearing in Richmond, Virginia, in December, the tech companies pushed back against that idea. "We do see an industry-specific rate class as discriminatory," Brian George, a Google executive, said at the hearing. "Once we start going down that road, it does become a very slippery slope for how we can stop. If we assign it to one particular industry, how do we not assign it to another?" But James Wilson, an energy economist who has consulted for consumer and environmental groups, noted that data centers accounted for almost all the electricity demand growth expected over the coming years in the mid-Atlantic region. "Discrimination, yes; undue, not really," he testified at the same hearing. The technology companies say they are open to compromises. In an interview, Amanda Peterson Corio, a Google executive responsible for data center energy, pointed to a deal with American Electric Power's subsidiary in Indiana and consumer groups in that state, where tech companies agreed to pay some grid upgrade costs upfront to allay concerns about canceled or delayed projects. But under that deal, data centers are not put into a new rate class. "You start to isolate different classes and start to allocate who we're going to give power to and who we're not," Corio said. "That goes against every construct of how our electricity system was designed, which is to be open access." Tech companies say they plan to keep building data centers, but where those sites will be is uncertain. That puts utilities at risk of building more than their area needs. Microsoft, for example, announced plans in October to build three data center campuses that would require power from the Ohio utility. "The Columbus region's skilled workforce, strong infrastructure and strategic location make it ideal for this project," the company said then. But six months later -- before regulators ruled against the tech industry -- Microsoft changed its data center strategy and said it was putting the Ohio projects on ice. For the foreseeable future, those sites would remain farmland. Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. Tariffs, tantrums, and tech: How Trump's trade drama is keeping Indian IT on tenterhooks Good, bad, ugly: How will higher ethanol in petrol play out for you? 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Mint
4 hours ago
- Mint
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra gets its biggest price cut yet — ₹55,000 off on Amazon! Why you should still buy it in 2025
Amazon has announced its latest sale event, dubbed 'Mega Electronics Days,' which will run from 8 to 15 August 2025. The week-long promotion features markdowns on a range of gadgets, including smartwatches, headphones, and other electronic products. One of the most significant deals in this sale is on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra 5G. The 12GB RAM and 256GB storage variant of the handset, originally priced at ₹ 1,34,999, is now available for ₹ 79,999, a direct reduction of 40 per cent. Additionally, Amazon Pay ICICI Bank credit card holders can earn cashback on the purchase: Prime members receive five per cent (up to ₹ 2,399), while other cardholders get three per cent. The cashback offer excludes EMI transactions and purchases made through Amazon Business. The Galaxy S24 Ultra comes with a 6.8-inch Quad HD+ Dynamic AMOLED display offering up to 2,600 nits peak brightness and a 120Hz refresh rate. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass Armour, designed to reduce reflections by up to 75 per cent under various lighting conditions. Powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with Adreno 740 graphics, the device is paired with LPDDR5 RAM and UFS 4.0 storage. It runs on One UI 7, based on Android 15, with Samsung confirming an upgrade to Android 16-based One UI 8 in the near future. The company has pledged five more years of operating system updates for the model. The camera system includes a 200MP main sensor with optical image stabilisation, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 10MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom, and a 50MP periscope lens capable of 5x zoom. A 12MP front camera is provided for selfies and video calls. The handset houses a 5,000mAh battery supporting 45W wired charging and Qi wireless charging. With an IP68 rating, it is resistant to dust and water, and can withstand submersion in up to 1.5 metres of water for up to 30 minutes. While Samsung's latest Galaxy S25 Ultra introduces a newer processor and some additional AI tools, the S24 Ultra retains many of the same display, camera, and battery features. For those using older smartphones, the discounted S24 Ultra may present a more cost-effective option than moving directly to the S25 Ultra.